130: When the only card is no longer unique

Chapter 130: When the unique Card is No Longer unique

“This time, the Three Card Halls Joint Exam adopted a fully confidential format before the test. Before it began, none of us knew what mode the assessment would take.”

Director Hou, accompanied by Shi Li, authenticated their identities and arrived at a heavily guarded warehouse.

“Is it that mysterious?”

Shi Li’s curiosity was piqued.

Director Hou entered a room, which was empty except for a metallic password box.

There was a small display screen on top of the box, counting down the time.

“So the assessment is to disarm a time bomb?”

“Of course not.”

Director Hou smiled. “The rules for this joint exam are inside this box. Only by entering the correct password after the countdown ends will the box open.”

The two arrived at a fortunate time, with less than 30 seconds left on the countdown.

After 30 seconds, Director Hou entered the password.

“Hmm?”

The moment the box opened, both of them showed confusion simultaneously.

Because inside the box was actually a card.

“Oh, it’s a relatively rare Battle Card.”

Director Hou recognized the type of card at a glance.

Battle Cards are a subcategory of simulated mission item cards.

The difference from ordinary item cards is that they are primarily focused on card games, and even if cleared, there are generally no substantial rewards.

They are only used for card players to test their strength and practice.

“The content of this assessment is a special simulated mission competition—”

He picked up the text description underneath and began to read: “This simulated mission is a linear card game mode. After each battle, card players choose rewards to strengthen their deck for the next challenge.”

Shi Li felt this sounded very familiar.

It was quite similar to the Tiao Tiao Treasure Guardian Squad mode.

“This Battle Card has 100 floors. After the challenge ends, this Battle Card will not be completely destroyed, and the card face will retain the specific number of cleared stages.

This number will be the basis for the ranking in this joint exam. Please keep it safe.

Note: If the number of stages cleared is the same, the ranking will be determined by the time taken.”

Director Hou finished reading the last line of text.

“Battle Card assessments are relatively rare.

And I don’t recognize this Battle Card either. What form and content it holds is something you’ll have to explore yourself.”

He handed the Battle Card to Shi Li.

“I think it should be quite interesting.”

Shi Li accepted the card.

【Terrifying Wilderness Night】: Use this card to activate a simulated battle (3-star)

This Battle Card should be refreshable,

but without substantial rewards, refreshing it isn’t very meaningful for me.

Moreover, it’s a 3-star card, so refreshing it would definitely cost 16,000 once.

After receiving the card, Director Hou led Shi Li to a dedicated assessment room.

On the way, he began to explain.

“The entry threshold for this assessment is a B-level contract. As far as I know, almost all B-level contractors in your third-year high school group have participated.

Among them, the highest-ranked has even reached Platinum 8.

Young people of this caliber are It can be said that just one step away from an A-level contract.”

“Platinum 8?”

Shi Li raised an eyebrow.

This rank was 1 level higher than what Hu Lan told him about Qingchuan University freshmen.

It seemed these were the top Talents destined for Show University, Liguang University, and Xingyao University.

“How many such contractors are there?”

“Ten.”

Director Hou stated a number that surprised Shi Li.

He had initially thought there would only be two or three, but unexpectedly, it reached double digits.

“As I mentioned earlier, they are truly just one step away from an A-level contract.

Advancing to Platinum 10 is already the peak of Platinum, and Platinum 9 individuals are generally qualified to receive an A-level contract.

In fact, you are the lowest-ranked among all B-level contractors participating in this assessment.

The second-lowest, who is higher than you, has also reached the level of Platinum 5.”

It just goes to show, Shi Li only realized how many experts there were among his peers when he asked. He could only say that Jiangnan Province was still relatively too small and backward.

“Don’t belittle yourself. You’ve actually done very well, and I believe you’ll catch up to them soon.”

Seeing Shi Li silent, Director Hou comforted him.

“Then I also need to tell you about the standards for this assessment.

There are 132 B-level contractors participating this time, and a segmented qualification system is used.

Only the 100 people who make it into the top 100 will be considered to have met the assessment standard.”

In other words, if he didn’t want his contract evaluation to be affected, he had to at least make it into the top 100.

“You can’t let your guard down. Last time you made it into the top hundred of the national third-year high school group, that was only within our Show Card Hall. But now it’s the third-year high school groups from three Card Halls, and the level of competition has more than doubled.”

Director Hou reminded him.

“Okay.”

“And item cards and such are not prohibited from use.

Because they are inherently part of your deck, you should use them whenever the opportunity is right.”

“Okay.”

Shi Li, holding Dimensional Intervention and Dimensional Retrospect, could indeed increase his fault tolerance significantly.

So, after giving his instructions, Director Hou left Shi Li alone in the room.

Ordering a cup of coffee, Shi Li began to use 【Terrifying Wilderness Night】.

Then a screen popped up before him.

It was a silent land, with the moonlight dim under the cover of dark clouds.

Then a few lines of text popped up.

【Welcome to Terrifying Wilderness Night.】

【This battle has 100 stages. After clearing a stage, you can choose corresponding rewards to strengthen your deck.】

【Only 1 item card can be used per stage.】

“Oh, there’s such a restriction.”

He had just said he could use Dimensional Intervention and Dimensional Retrospect, but it seemed he couldn’t now.

【You can change the selected item card after clearing a stage.】

“This means I can achieve the effect of sending out different Character Cards to battle by changing Dimensional Intervention each turn.”

This was good news for Shi Li.

【Now loading your Character Card deck.】

【Loading...】

【Loading complete. Character Cards successfully copied.】

【You can only battle with this deck in this battle.】

“This means this battle doesn’t provide simulated Character Cards like other simulated missions; I need to use my own deck.”

He thought this point was okay.

People with strong decks would have a greater advantage; everyone was not on the same starting line.

If Gong Ping were here, he would probably shout, “This isn’t fair.”

However, the moment that truly made Shi Li uncomfortable arrived now.

Buzz—

A card table gradually formed before him.

The enemy’s card slots were 9+1.

And his own side… was still 4+1?

“Are you kidding me?”

Shi Li was completely stunned.

So, the card slots were allocated according to each person’s rank?

How was he supposed to fight then?

Aside from those Platinum 9 and Platinum 8 guys, wouldn’t most participants fail to clear the first stage?

Was the difficulty of the Three Card Halls Joint Exam this high?

“If most people fail in the first stage, how will the rankings be determined?

Whoever loses faster ranks higher?”

Shi Li found it a bit amusing.

However, when the opposing monster cards were placed, he felt a little more comfortable.

These were a group of green-skinned goblins with ghost flames floating behind them.

They were called 【Spirit Goblins】, had no keywords, and their stat panels weren’t particularly high.

Except for the ace card, all were 20 attack, 50 health.

The ace card was 50 attack, 150 health.

“But even so, I don’t think I can beat them.”

Shi Li made a judgment based purely on intuition.

The total base stats of the 9+1 opposing cards were 230 attack + 550 health.

And his own 4+1 deck’s total base stats were 180 attack + 600 health.

The health was similar, but his attack power was significantly lower, and the opponent had 5 more targets than him.

But as the saying goes, since he was here, he might as well play.

As soon as he placed the first Character Card, he received a prohibition message.

【Please use the equipped deck.】

“Hmm?”

Shi Li paused, then realized.

Although his Character Cards were copied by the instance, he couldn’t directly deploy his Character Cards on this card table.

Instead, he could only deploy copies of those Character Cards.

“Wait a minute.”

He seemed to realize something else.

Could he play it this way?

With a flick of his hand, he pulled out Dimensional Intervention.

With a try-it-and-see attitude, Shi Li first placed the copied Jumping Guard on the card table.

Then he placed the original Jumping Guard on it.

“Comfortable.”

It actually worked.

With this, he felt like this instance wasn’t so difficult to beat anymore.

Two Jumping Guards at the front would take at least 6 turns to be completely cleared.

In 6 turns, wouldn't his other Character Cards tear through most of the opponent's deck?

Indeed, with two incredibly strong tanks, this card game was much easier than Shi Li had imagined.

When the last trump card of the opponent was cut down, a text message popped up.

“Congratulations on clearing Stage 1.”

“Please select 1 of the following 3 items as your reward for clearing the stage.”

“Torch of Exorcism”: Reduces the attack power of 1 enemy card to 0 for this game (limited to 3 uses, ineffective against Elite-level or higher targets)

“Lost Mysterious Coin”: Holding this item adds 1 reward option when clearing a stage

“Wilderness Rally Horn”: Expands your deck to 5+1 (maximum 9+1)

“Is there even a choice?”

Shi Li, of course, chose the Wilderness Rally Horn.

Although this stage was cleared quite easily, who knew if the enemy's stats would increase later on?

What he lacked most now was this item.

At the same time, inside the Show Card Hall director's office in Huadu Capital City's 5th District.

“Is he the little guy my good-for-nothing brother took a liking to?”

Xiu Qinghe looked at the large screen in front of her.

What was being broadcast was the real-time footage of Shi Li's simulation mission.

“That’s right, it’s him.”

Shen Yuanhu, sitting next to her, hunched his body: “This kid is a bit strange.”

His gaze fell on the two Jumping Guards, filled with an indescribable sense of frustration.

Last time, Xiu Qingshan took one of his totem cards for nothing, and he didn't expect this kid to actually open it.

If he had known that such a uniquely designed Unique Character Card could be opened, he shouldn't have agreed in the first place.

Even for Platinum players, powerful Unique Character Cards are highly coveted, regardless of their star rating.

Anyway, for them, the process of upgrading a card from no stars to three stars was as easy as flipping a hand.

“So, Qingshan stole the card for him?”

After listening to Shen Yuanhu's account, Xiu Qinghe glanced at him: “Hmph, my brother’s personality inherited the true essence of the Xiu family. You’d better be careful when dealing with him.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Shen Yuanhu's body trembled slightly, and he quickly nodded in agreement.

If you put it that way, your fiery temper doesn't show any inheritance from the Xiu family at all.

He muttered inwardly.

“What do you think, how does he compare to Chi Xi?”

At this moment, Xiu Qinghe asked.

“That's definitely incomparable. Chi Xi will at least rank in the top 20 this time.”

Shen Yuanhu quickly waved his hand.

Chi Xi's surname is Chi, a rather special surname.

She was a third-year high school student personally signed by Xiu Qinghe at the beginning of this year.

She was very talented, but unfortunately, her card resonance was a bit lacking, only achieving two systems.

Otherwise, she would have definitely recommended her to Show University.

However, even so, Chi Xi was still the most outstanding genius in their District 5 Card Hall's group, with a rank of Platinum 7.

Xiu Qinghe thought highly of this person, and she also happened to be admitted to Qingchuan University.

So she was singled out for comparison with Shi Li.

Clicking on another screen, Chi Xi had already reached Stage 10.

By collecting clearance rewards, her deck had already reached 9+1 by Stage 9.

The reward of increasing the deck limit was a universally prioritized option for all examinees.

“The little girl is performing very well. I feel like her final ranking should be good.”

Looking at Chi Xi's card game screen, Shen Yuanhu nodded.

Based on past experience, this type of assessment usually only required reaching around Stage 80 to enter the top 20.

He observed Chi Xi's current deck and the accompanying reward buffs, and as long as no particularly counter-effective enemies appeared, getting around a 20th place ranking shouldn't be a problem.

“Then what do you think Shi Li's ranking will be?”

Xiu Qinghe asked again.

“At most, top 50.”

Shen Yuanhu extended five fingers, sharing Xiu Qingshan's opinion.

“Alright, then let’s see.”

Xiu Qinghe did not refute, only smiled slightly.

Top 50?

She didn't believe it, anyway.

If this kid could squeeze into the top 50 with just a Platinum 3 rank—

Then what if she indulged her good-for-nothing brother?

Shi Li didn't know he was being watched.

After a fierce battle, he had already broken through to Stage 15.

It wasn't until Stage 14 that he finally managed to piece together a 9+1 deck.

Compared to the examinees with higher ranks, this was actually a disadvantage.

Because the opportunities others used to obtain powerful buffs, he could only use to acquire deck slots.

Now that he had reached this stage, the enemies' strength was many times higher than before.

For example, in this Stage 15, there were 2 monster cards with 3 attributes and 8 monster cards with 2 attributes.

The base stats of regular cards had reached an exaggerated 40 attack + 150 health.

“Fortunately, I also got a few good reward buffs, so I should be able to win.”

In the previous 14 rounds, Shi Li relied entirely on the two Jumping Guards to barely hold on.

But now that he had assembled a 9+1 deck, he decided to try a different playstyle.

This time, he brought out two Red Blade Maidens.

When the card game reached the 6th turn, Shi Li drew a hand card.

“Now the problem comes.”

He looked at the two Red Blade Maidens.

They had both met the conditions to activate their destined hand card: releasing skills 5 times.

“So if I play this hand card, who will gain the liberation effect?”

With that, he played “True Crimson Liberation”.

Unexpectedly, the hand card split into two, transforming into two streaks of red light!

“Ugh… AHHHHHH!”

Both Red Blade Maidens simultaneously cried out, then both completed their transformations.

“This—this is a bit too much.”

Shi Li couldn't help but laugh.

Even the regular Red Blade Maiden, in her liberated transformed state, could deal 70+60 = 130 points of True Damage with one Vast.

And this didn't even include the various reward buffs.

It was simply too satisfying!

With 3 turns of explosive output, the card game immediately became much simpler.

In a 9+1 PVE card game, since all cards are revealed at the start, it's quite easy for a card positioned at the back to survive 5 turns.

So Shi Li then relied on the power of the two Sword Maidens and advanced rapidly.

Following that, he developed a new playstyle.

The Twin Cicada Wing tactic.

Making two Cicada Wing Patrols carry the same attributes.

“Inspire - Passive”: When Cicada Wing Patrol is revealed, trigger the battle cry effect of 1 card again (T0)

“Blessing - Passive”: When Cicada Wing Patrol is revealed, 1 revealed card gains 10 Encouragement for this game (T0)

Cicada Wing A first gives Inspire to Cicada Wing B, letting Cicada Wing B trigger Inspire twice, and then goes to Inspire Cicada Wing A.

Relying on this nesting doll tactic, all of his cards gained permanent Encouragement for this game.

Plus the reward buff:

“Human Skin Old Drum”: Your side gains +10 Encouragement

This directly brought Shi Li's deck's base attack power to a terrifying 530.

Ultimately, without spending too much time, he broke through Stage 49 and was about to reach Stage 50.

“Congratulations on clearing Stage 49.”

“Please select 1 of the following 3 items as your reward for clearing the stage.”

“Unknown Ritual Bone Artifact”: When there are 3 Wise cards on your side, their respective energy limits increase by +10

“Cloak Worn by the Ethereal Envoy”: When all remaining cards on your side are Listen to the Wind cards, they take -10 damage (not stackable)

“Half-page of a Tattered Prophet's Diary”: Doubles the T0-level damage of your cards. Shi Li looked at them; these three buffs were almost useless to him.

So he casually chose the third one.

Then the screen changed, and the new card game began.

“This Stage 50 is a big hurdle.”

On the other end of the network, Shen Yuanhu said, looking at Shi Li's card game progress on the screen.

Many examinees who had progressed faster than him had already fallen at this stage.

This was enough to prove that the enemy strength in this stage was much higher than in previous stages.

“He's performing better than expected, but he still needs to work harder to get into the top 50.”

Xiu Qinghe glanced at the rankings.

Many examinees failed at Stage 50, but many also passed Stage 50.

Currently, Shi Li's ranking was temporarily 64th.

To get into the top 50, he definitely had to pass Stage 50.

“Hmm?”

However, when Shi Li saw the opponent's cards, he couldn't help but be stunned.